Middlings-purifier



No. 625,I06. Patented May I6, I899.

E. HARDS.

MIDDLINGS PURIFIER.

(Application filed Apr. 26, 1897.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-8heet l.

//v I/E/VTOR .E'dwazwi Jim WITNESSES:

ATTORNEYS.

No. 625,l06 Patented May 16, I899.

- E. HABDS.

MIDDLINGS PURIFIEB.

(Application filed Apr 2e, 1897.) (No Model.) a She etsSheet 2.

WITNESSES a I/V VIE/V701? ATTORNEYS.

No. 625,I06. Patented ma l6, I899.

E. HABDS.

MIDDLINGS PURIFIER.

(Application filed Apr. 28, 1897.) v (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

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w! 7 ML I g Ill/VE/VTUH Eduard Eli 6Z6 ATTORNEYS.

NlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWVARD HARDS, OF DESl-ILER, NEBRASKA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH TO D. J. SPRINGER AND FRANK F. BROWN, OF FREMONT, NEBRASKA.

MlDDLlNGS-PURIFIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 625,106, dated May 16, 1899; Application filed April 26, 1897. Serial No. 633,933. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD I'IARDS, of Deshler, in the county of Thayer and State of'Nebraska, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Middlings-Purifiers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is in the nature of an improved middlings-purifier for grading, separating,

and dressing the stock in the milling of grain; and it consists in the peculiar construction and arrangement of the parts, which I will now proceed to describe, with reference to the drawings, in which Figure 1 is aside view with one-half of the machine in vertical section. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on the broken line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross-section on line 3 3 of Fig. 1, and Fig.4 is a detail of theeccentric connection. V r

In the drawings, X represents a rectangular framework, within which are sustained two nests A A of shaking-screens. As both these nests .are constructed and geared ex actly alike, it will be su fficient to describe the special construction and arrangement of one of them. It consists of an external cylindrical casing having a slightly-conical top with a central inlet-opening a, through which the stock is fed. A vertical shaft E is stepped upon a bearing at its lower end in the crosstimber E and carries a conical distributingflange e, by which the stock is uniformly distributed to the top sieveB. This sieve is composed of woven netting of fabric or wire (or perforated metal, if desired) and is supported upon aframework composed of subjacent conically-arranged radial arms b, connected rigidly at their outer ends to the casing and at the center to a hub o through which the shaft E loosely passes. These arms lie just beneath thenetting and are provided at their ends with screw-threads and nuts b by which they terminating in a ball g, Fig. 4, which is-em These radial arms not only serve to adjust and tighten 'the netting and support the central hub of the sieve, but they also lie beneath the netting, close to it, and support it directly, so as to prevent sagging.

D isa radial arm fixed rigidly to the vert-ical shaft E and carrying on its upper surface abrush that sweeps the under side of the sieve,

cleaning its meshes and preventing clogging. As the brush passes the radial arms I) a slight flirt is given to its bristles, that gives a more effective cleaning action.

Beneath the upper sieve and receiving the finer particles of stock that pass through it is a subjacent conical hopper C, of sheet metal, which'carries this finer stock to the center and dischargesit through a hole onto a second sieve B, similar to B. The larger particles of this stock pass to the outer edge and are discharged through a spout a while the finer particles that pass through are received upon the conical hopper-shaped bottom 0 and pass 7 5 out the central opening 0/3. This sieve B is constructed, in like manner to B, with radial arms I) and central hub I), through which the shaft E loosely passes, while a second brush D, rigidly attached to the shaft E, sweeps the under surface of the sieve and cleans it in a similar manner to the brush D above. From this description it will be seen that three separations of the stock are madethe coarsest at a, the next finer at a and the finest at a It will be understood, however, that any number of separations may be made by simply increasing the number of sieves and suhjacent hoppers, both of which latter are intended to be made detachable and removable from the outer case.

To the sieves as the stock passes through a shaking motion is imparted of a compound nature--namely, a rotary oscillating motion about the vertical axis and a slight risingand-falling motion. For this purpose there are fixed at four points (more or less) around 1 the side walls of the outer casing outwardlyprojecting pins or trunnions f, which are sustained in the lower ends of flexible hangers F, attached at their upper ends to the top floor or timbers of the framework, so as to hold the nest of sieves in a state of suspe11- sion. To one side of the casing of each-nest of sieves is firmly attached a projecting pin, IOS/V/ braced bya socket composed of two plates g g, having hemispherical depressions in their adjacent faces to embrace the ball g and form a ball-and-socket joint. These socket-plates are loosely clamped around the ball by a separating-nut g and two outside nuts 9 9 at top and bottom, secured upon the screwthreaded ends of two rods G G, that are arranged tangentially to the outer casing and connected to an eccentric head G Within this eccentric head there revolves a cam or eccentric h on the end of a horizontal shaft H, of which there are two, one for each nest of sieves, journaled in a bearing-block H, fixed at each end upon the lower cross-timbers I I of the framework, which latter also sustain between them the two receivingthroats t' 11, that take the stock from the two spouts a of the oscillating cylinders.

On the shafts II II are two drive-pulleys J J, Figs. 2 and 3, around which passes a single belt K from a drive-pulley L on a crossshaft M, journaled in bearings on the upper part of the framework. This cross-shaft has midway its length a worm N, that meshes with a worm-wheel O on a longitudinal shaft P, journaled in bearings in uprights Q Q on the top of the framework and having at its ends small gear-wheels that mesh at right angles with the larger gear-wheels R on the upper ends of the vertical shaft E. This shaft E extends through a feed-hopper E fixed to the upper floor on top of the framework, and may be provided within the hopper with a stirrer to slowly and uniformly feed the stock through to the openings at of the sieve-cas- 1n gs.

The cross-shaft M is provided at one end with a suitable drive-pulley, by means of which rotary motion is imparted to the same, and as it revolves a slow motion is imparted through the intervening gears to the vertical shaft E, that slowly feeds the stock and moves the brushes under the sieves. At the same time a more rapid motion is transmitted through the belt K and pulleys J J to the shafts H H, and these, through their eccentrics, eccentric-rods, and ball-and-socket joints, impart a rapid oscillatory motion to the sievecylinders that shakes the stock through thesieves, and as the oscillating sieve-cylinders are hung upon swinging hangers itwill be seen that the sieve-cylinders as they oscillate have a slight rising-and-falling motion, due to the radial movement of the hangers.

By arranging the two nests of sieves in pairs, with the driving-shafts between them and symmetrical gears above them, I render the machine more compact and economize floorspace and the thrust of the driving mechanism for oscillating the casing is neutralized, so as to prevent vibration. The ball-andsocket joints of the pitman or eccentric rods also play an important part, for they enable me to use tangential pitmen, which apply the power to greatadvantage, the ball-joint alpitman or eccentric rod follows the curved path of the casing in its oscillation.

T are sliding doors arranged in the top of the casing to give access to the interior. These doors have suitable handles and catches t to hold them closed.

By this machine a very efficient, convenient, and practical separation of the stock is made and a very compact machine provided.

My machine may also be used, with slight modification of the sieves,,for cleaning all kinds of grain, seed, rice, oatmeal, and analogous uses, and it maybe operated in connection with a suction air-trunk, as is common in this class of milling devices and for which I make no special claim.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a middlings-purifier, the combination of two nests of sieving devices arranged to oscillate about vertical axes, two horizontal cross-shafts with drive-pulleys and eccentrics arranged between the two nests at right angles to the axes of the sieves, horizontal eccentric-rods running from the shafts to their respective nests of sieves in tangential relation and having a ball-and-socket connection with their casings, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In a middlin gs-purifier, the combination of two. nests of sieving devices arranged to oscillate aboutvertical axes, two horizontal cross-shafts with drive-pulleys and eccentrics arranged between the two nests, horizontal eccentric-rods running from these shafts tangentially to their respective nests of sieves and having a ball-andsocket connection with their casings, a belt passing around the two pulleys below to a single drive-pulley above, a cross-shaft on the upper part of the framework carrying said drive-pulley and a worm, a longitudinal shaft with worm-wheel in the middle and gear-wheels at its ends, and two vertical shafts extending down through the nests of sieves and carrying brushes, said shafts being connected to and operated by the longitudinal shaft by gears at their upper ends, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. The combination with a nest of sieving devices having a vertical axis and a cylindrical casing with a projecting ball or knob on its side, of a driving-shaft arranged at right angles to the axis of the sieving devices and having an eccentric, and a duplex eccentrio-rod composed of two rods screw-threaded at their outer ends and provided with two concave socket-plates, and separating and clamp nuts for inclosing the socket-plates upon the ball, said eccentric-rod being arranged tangentially to the casing, substantially as and for the purpose described.

EDWARD HARDS. Witnesses:

FRED KREIMEYER, PARIS RICHARDSON. 

